The prior art already contains a support and guidance structure for hoistable masts of a submarine vehicle, including:                a support and guidance structure including a support equipped with means of guidance of the mast in translation in a raising direction, including a central wall, generally flat, extending longitudinally parallel to the raising direction, and delimiting a housing for the mast,        guidance means including at least two guide rails, borne by the support, extending in the raising direction, and at least two additional guidance elements, borne by the mast and each working in tandem with a respective rail, whereby each rail forms stops for the related guidance element, immobilising the guide element in a second direction perpendicular to the raising direction and to the central wall, and        whereby the support and guidance structure includes means of fixation of the support to a structural part of the vehicle.        
The means for guidance of the mast in translation in the raising direction allow for longitudinal raising of the mast between a retracted position inside the body of the vehicle and a raised position.
Such a support also includes means of fixation to the body, which is a structural component of the vehicle. Thus, the mast and its support may be brought together during a single assembly operation within the submarine vehicle.
Normally, the support includes four walls surrounding the mast transversely to the raising direction, so as to form a transversely closed housing for the mast. A support as described above is described in EP 1 177 974 B1.